A band of travellers,—merchants, peasants, soldiers, who stop at the monastery over night.
Monks of the monastery.
The time is the twelfth century, a Christmas eve.
The place is the great hall of the monastery of St. Cuthbert. The room is a large one, with cold stone walls and a heavy-beamed ceiling, lighted by flaring torches. The rear wall is broken by a massive oaken door leading to the courtyard of the monastery, and two rudely glazed windows. On the right an open doorway leads to the chapel and to one side of the doorway is a shrine to the Virgin and Child, before which some candles burn with wavering flames. On the opposite side of the room is a huge fireplace with a blazing log fire. The wind is roaring outside, and even blows through the rude hall in great, gusty draughts, while a fine powder of snow sifts in through crevices of windows and door.
SCENE I. [The travellers, with some of the monks of the monastery, are seated before the fire. The Jew, bent, gaunt and gray-bearded, stands to one side, unrecognized, muttering to himself indistinctly. He has evidently just entered, for the melted snow still gleams from his clothing. The company disregard him, conversing among themselves.]
A SOLDIER. Now, by Our Lady, 'tis a raw cold night—
I mind me when on such a night I lay
Unsheltered in the trenches facing Mons
In Flanders.
A MERCHANT. Hem! Sir Longbeard tells a tale.
List, all!
THE SOLDIER. By Holy mass—
THE MERCHANT. Ho! Hear the oaths!
They 're thick as—
THE SOLDIER. Hark ye! Hush thy meddling tongue!